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Garden Water Butts Rainwater, sorted
Size guide Journal

Rainwater harvesting, made simple

Catch the rain. Keep the garden green.

Water butts for every size of garden, from slimline space-savers to stone-effect stores, plus the diverters, stands and taps to set them up. Compare the options here, then buy securely through Amazon.

Shop water butts Which size do I need?
Gardener filling a watering can from the tap of a green water butt fitted to a downpipe

Free water, every time it rains

Fill the watering can without touching the tap.

Better for your plants

Soft rainwater suits acid-lovers like blueberries and camellias.

Ready for dry summers

Stored rainwater keeps working during a hosepipe ban.

Shop by type

Find the right fit for your space

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Small blue water barrel collecting rain on a wet day

Small water butts

100 litre butts for sheds and greenhouses.
Tall red water butt against a house wall beside a fence

Slimline water butts

Tuck into side returns and narrow paths.
Large IBC-style rainwater tank set up in a garden

Large water butts

300 litres and up for big roofs.
Wooden barrel water butt with a green rim in a garden

Decorative water butts

Stone, oak and terracotta looks.
Barrel planter filled with pink and red flowers

Planter water butts

Store water and grow on top.
Downpipe outlet feeding a water butt against a brick wall

Water butt kits

Butt, stand, tap and diverter in one.
Two large green rainwater storage tanks

Rainwater tanks

Collapsible barrels and IBC tanks.
Green water butt filling from a downpipe in a garden

Accessories

Diverters, taps, stands and pumps.

Size guide

How big a water butt do you need?

Here’s the easy rule of thumb: every millimetre of rain falling on one square metre of roof gives you about one litre of water. Measure the roof that feeds your downpipe and you’re most of the way there.

Read the full size guide

Shed roof · 6 m²

60 L

from 10 mm of rain. A 100 litre slimline is plenty.

Greenhouse · 12 m²

120 L

from 10 mm of rain. Think 200 litres or two linked butts.

House roof · 40 m²

400 L

from 10 mm of rain. Go large, or link several.

Worked examples. Real yields run a little lower once splash and gutter losses are counted.

Easy start

Ready-to-fit water butt kits

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Green water butt filling from a downpipe in a garden

Getting started

Set up in an afternoon

  1. 1

    Pick your spot

    Firm, level ground right next to a downpipe. A full water butt is heavy, so don’t skimp on the base.

  2. 2

    Fit a rain diverter

    It sits in the downpipe and feeds the butt. Once it’s full, the rest carries on down the drain as normal.

  3. 3

    Raise it on a stand

    A stand lifts the tap high enough to slide a watering can underneath. Small thing, big difference.

Read the fitting guide Shop rain diverters

Accessories

Make your water butt easier to use

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The journal

Guides for greener gardening

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